R: Rest and Relaxation

I visited SIG in Washington, DC, this past weekend. It's a trip that's been planned for almost a year, as it initially started with a goal of running the National Half Marathon together. I was signed up for the race, signed up for the training program, and then the injury took hold, and I couldn't train, and therefore, couldn't run the half. SIG was not-so-secretly pleased by this development - she had decided a while ago not to run it, and this provided more time for both shopping and going out. Oh, and eating, three things we did in vast quantities this weekend.

I got into DC on Thursday night after a delayed flight due to the crappy weather in Chicago (snow on March 27 = NOT COOL, especially when it's the 42nd day of measurable snowfall this season). After getting to their apartment, SIG and her husband and I went to a local sports bar for a quick bite to eat, then we of course stayed up way too late catching up. I had the place to myself on Friday, and I took full advantage of that by sleeping in, going to get my race packet (because if I paid for the stupid race, I at least want the race shirt!), then taking a long nap that afternoon. When SIG's husband got home, we started looking at places to go for dinner, and he decided to check out a place called Zola's, which is in the same building as the Spy Museum. It was AWESOME. The food was great (I had tortelloni with ricotta and manchengo cheeses, then black cod with golden beets, blood oranges, and barley), the drinks were strong (mmm, Zola martini), and the decor of the place was amazing - very modern with quirky little "spy" touches - our booth had a secret window into the kitchen, and SIG's husband said he thought there were some other touches. Then we headed a few blocks away to a lounge called IndieBlue, where we met up with some of their friends. All in all, a great night.

On Saturday, SIG and I headed to Georgetown for some major shopping - our goal was to find me a cute outfit for my thesis defense. Success! I got navy blue pants and a cream jacket from Benetton, then a light blue shell to wear under the jacket from Ann Taylor Loft. I have my mother on the lookout for silver flats, so hopefully she comes through for me. We stopped for a very late lunch at a little place called Sweet Greens, where I got the best salad I have ever had - it was called the Le Parisienne, and it was arugula, turkey, brie, apples, and almonds with a champaigne vinaigrette and a slice of warm bread. Delicious. I wish I could eat lunch there every freaking day. On Saturday night, SIG and I went to dinner at a place called Equinox. It was an interesting experience, because the food was as good as Zola's (I had a crab cake with grits, then had veal raviolini in a lentil ragout, and molten chocolate cake for dessert), but the ambiance was very... stale, I guess, is the best word I can use to describe it. I almost felt like I was eating dinner in the dining room of a very nice nursing home - lots of taupes and pastel colors, onion sconces (!) on the walls. So although the food was very good, I don't have a strong desire to go back there like I do for Zola's. 

After dinner we went to a club called Five. Wow. What an... interesting... clientele. We saw prostitutes, transvestites, a whole lot of people who were completed strung out, one guy who we think was an undercover cop. It was bizarre. Let's just say that I won't be going back to Five anytime soon! We all slept in on Sunday before having what might actually be my favorite meal of the trip - brunch at a place in Arlington called Tallula, where I had these amazing ricotta and sour cherry pancakes that were mouth-wateringly good. I want some right now.

It was a great weekend in DC, awesome to be away from Chicago and the lab for a few days, and now I'm trying to motivate myself to get back into the writing groove. So off to the library I go! 

links: technorati